Curtain-rod



To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

HENRY A. FOWLER, OF NORTHBRIDGE, AND JOHN H. LINGLEY, OF \VOROES- TER,ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO SAMUEL FO\VLER, OF NORTHBRIDGE,

MASSACHUSETTS.

CURTAIN-ROD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,940, dated January12, 1892. Application filed May 8, 1890. Serial No. 350,978. (No model.)

Be it known that we, HENRY A. FOWLER, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Northbridge, in thecounty of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, and JOHN H. LINGLEY, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Worcester, in the countyand State aforesaid, have invented a new and usefullmprovement inCurtain-Rods, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, and inwhich- Figure 1 represents one of our improved rods as held against theopposing sides of a casing. Fig. 2 is a view of the same with thesliding ends shown in central longitudinal sectional View. Fig. 3 showsa similar sectional view of one of the sliding ends upon a larger scale,and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal central view of a modified form of thesliding end.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the diiferent figures.

Our invention relates to a curtain-rod intended to be held between theopposing sides of a door or window casing by the friction of the endsupon the casing, and the construction of the device by which thisfriction is secured is clearly shown in the accompanying drawings, inwhich A A denote the sides of a door or window casing.

B is a rod forming the central section of our improved rod, and can beof metal or other material, as wood or of wood covered withmetal, or itcan consist of a piece of tubing. Upon each end of the central rod 13 weplace the telescopic sliding tubes 0 C, with their inner ends ground orturned down to an edge in order to allow the rings or the hem of acurtain to slide freely over them. The outer ends of the sliding tubes 0O are compressed or reduced in diameter by compres sion or upsetting.

On the reduced outer ends of the sliding tubes O O are placed the tips DD, which are either tubular in form, as represented in Fig. 4:, orflaring or bell-mouthed, as represented in Fig. 3, the special form ofthe tip itself being immaterial. Within the tip D and resting upon theends of the sliding tubes O are the disks E, and upon the disks E areplaced the rubber disks F F. Springs G G are inclosed within the slidingtubes O, the outer diameter of the springs being larger than theinternal diameter of the sliding tubes O at their reduced ends 0' O. Thesprings are large enough to require considerable pressure to cause themto enter the ends 0 O, and they are held in place by the pressure of thespring against the inner-surface of the sliding sleeves at their reducedends 0' C and Kept from falling out of the tubes when they are removedfrom the ends of the rod B. The opposite ends of the springs G G restagainst the ends of the rods B, and as the entire length of thecurtain-rod with the ends as applied is longer than the space betweenthe sides of the casing, so that when it 1s applied to the casing thesprings G G are compressed, their tension exerts a pressure against thesides of the casing, which serves to hold the rod firmly in position.The ends 0' C are sufficiently contracted in diameter to prevent thespring G from being pushed through the end of the tube 0 and crowdingthe disks E and F out of the tip D as the spring G is being compressedby the sliding motion of the tube G on the rod B in the operation ofapplying the curtain-rod to the window-casing. The compression of thetube 0 is thus made to serve a double purpose: 1n holding the spring Gfrom falling out of the tube O when the tube is removed from the rod Band also in preventing the end of the spring from being pushed throughthe end of the tube and against the disk E as the spring is compressedagainst the end of the rod B. This latter purpose can obviously besecured by turning over the end of the tube O, thereby contracting theopening and forming an internal flange by which the end of the springwill be held from contact wlth the disk E, or the end of the tube 0,which is held in the tip D, can be indented, so as to reduce itsinternal diameter and hold the outer end of the spring from longitudinalmove ment while it is being compressed.

While we have shown and described a rod B provided with a sliding sleeveat each end I00 of the rod carrying a tip and actuated by springs, andwhich We deem a preferable form of construction, We do not confineourselves to the use of a sleeve at each end.

We do not herein claim, broadly, the use of a sliding end with a springWhose tension is exerted to press the ends against the sides of thecasing, as such a construction was made the subject of the applicationof Fowler, Lingley, and Dodge, Serial No. 317,492; but

What we do claim as our presentinvention, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a curtain-rod, the combination, with a rod B, of a tube 0, havingone end inclosing and sliding on said rod and having its opposite endreduced in diameter, a spring 'inclosed'in said tube and held fromlongitudinal movement by said reduced end of the tube, and a shell ortip carried by the re duced end of the tube and adapted to beardescribed.

2. In a curtain-rod, the combination, with a rod B, of a sliding tube 0,having its end 0 reduced in diameter, a spring inclosed in said tube andheld from longitudinal movement by said reduced end of the tube, a shellor tip D, inclosing the end 0, 'a metallic Washer E, bearing against theend 0 of the tube, and a semi-elastic washer F, held in said shell andresting on said metallic disk, substantially as described.

Dated at Worcester, in the county of lVorcester and State Massachusetts,the 1st day of May, 1890.

HENRY A. FGWLER. JOHN H. LIN GLEY. Witnesses:

RUFUS B. FOWLER, H. M. FOWLER.

